Help and Support Center

[Colin Barnhorst]

I like to use the Help and Support Center to look up MS knowledgebase
articles. However, I also like to copy and paste the url's from kb articles
that answer frequent needs. That seems to mean having to open a browser and
go to microsoft.com and use the kb number and then copy the url there. Is
there a setting in Help and Support to show the urls? (This isn't a
question about finding kb articles or how to browse the kb, just whether or
not I can short cut through Help and Support when I also want to save the
url.)

 

[Thorsten Matzner]

I like to use the Help and Support Center to look up MS knowledgebase
articles. However, I also like to copy and paste the url's from kb articles
that answer frequent needs.

Use the template http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid= and add the ID
number of the MSKB article, which is listed in the upper right area.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

While I am in H&S? I know how to use the browser this way to find an
article given the number, but that is not the issue I am pursuing. I'd like
to see the url from H&S and not bother calling up the browser to do it. It
seems an extra step, (which I am doing now). Thanks, though.

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

Hi Colin,

Is is OK if Help Center can be tweaked so that the KB search results open in
IE? If so, pls let me know.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org

While I am in H&S? I know how to use the browser this way to find an
article given the number, but that is not the issue I am pursuing. I'd
like to see the url from H&S and not bother calling up the browser to do
it. It seems an extra step, (which I am doing now). Thanks, though.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

Use the template http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid= and add the ID
number of the MSKB article, which is listed in the upper right area.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

I'm all ears. That's where I am of course when I see a question. You get
what I'm wanting to do, I see.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

Hi Colin,

Is is OK if Help Center can be tweaked so that the KB search results open
in IE? If so, pls let me know.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org

While I am in H&S? I know how to use the browser this way to find an
article given the number, but that is not the issue I am pursuing. I'd
like to see the url from H&S and not bother calling up the browser to do
it. It seems an extra step, (which I am doing now). Thanks, though.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

I like to use the Help and Support Center to look up MS knowledgebase
articles. However, I also like to copy and paste the url's from kb
articles
that answer frequent needs.

Use the template http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid= and add the ID
number of the MSKB article, which is listed in the upper right area.

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

First, open %Systemroot%\pchealth\helpctr\System\panels\subpanels and make a
Backup copy of search.htm

Then, copy the attached search.htm (modified one) to the above path. Close
and re-open Help Center. Now the KB search results will open in your browser
window, whereas the standard ms-its: links remain shown in Help and Support
Center's frame itself.

To revert the setting back, delete the customized copy of "search.htm", and
copy the default "search.htm" file back to that location.

Addendum:
To copy title and url in IE, you can use the Title_Url script from Bill
James. (www.billsway.com)

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org

I'm all ears. That's where I am of course when I see a question. You get
what I'm wanting to do, I see.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

Hi Colin,

Is is OK if Help Center can be tweaked so that the KB search results open
in IE? If so, pls let me know.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org

While I am in H&S? I know how to use the browser this way to find an
article given the number, but that is not the issue I am pursuing. I'd
like to see the url from H&S and not bother calling up the browser to do
it. It seems an extra step, (which I am doing now). Thanks, though.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

I like to use the Help and Support Center to look up MS knowledgebase
articles. However, I also like to copy and paste the url's from kb
articles
that answer frequent needs.

Use the template http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid= and add the ID
number of the MSKB article, which is listed in the upper right area.

 

[Sharon F]

While I am in H&S? I know how to use the browser this way to find an
article given the number, but that is not the issue I am pursuing. I'd like
to see the url from H&S and not bother calling up the browser to do it. It
seems an extra step, (which I am doing now). Thanks, though.

Colin, save Thorsten's template. Paste that + the article ID number into a
reply. No browser needed. If you use a clipboard program, you could assign
a keyboard shortcut to the template.

I have TweakUI setup so that I can type mskb + article number in an address
bar. However that method requires the browser so doesn't fit your criteria.

Or use what Ramesh designed for you! Sounds fun.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Thanks, Ramesh. This basically confirms what I pretty much knew. H&S lacks
a feature that would supply a url directly. Seems like it would be a snap
to do since the search engine has already output the article title links on
the knowledgebase tab. All that is needed is an item on the context menu
(when you right click on one of the items) that puts the url on the
clipboard. Looks like a Wishlist submission for Longhorn to me. So....

I have submitted to MS Windows Product Feedback (make-a-wish) a new feature
request that would add an item to the context menu for the articles in the
Help and Support Center/Search Results/Microsoft Knowledge Base tab. The
new context menu item would be "Copy url". In other words, after
Search[search string] a list of kb article titles appears on the Microsoft
Knowledge Base tab and I would like to just capture the kb article url
directly and pop it into a newsgroup Reply Group text area, an email, or in
a notepad doc, etc.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
First, open %Systemroot%\pchealth\helpctr\System\panels\subpanels and make a
Backup copy of search.htm

Then, copy the attached search.htm (modified one) to the above path. Close
and re-open Help Center. Now the KB search results will open in your browser
window, whereas the standard ms-its: links remain shown in Help and Support
Center's frame itself.

To revert the setting back, delete the customized copy of "search.htm", and
copy the default "search.htm" file back to that location.

Addendum:
To copy title and url in IE, you can use the Title_Url script from Bill
James. (www.billsway.com)

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org

I'm all ears. That's where I am of course when I see a question. You get
what I'm wanting to do, I see.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

Hi Colin,

Is is OK if Help Center can be tweaked so that the KB search results open
in IE? If so, pls let me know.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org

While I am in H&S? I know how to use the browser this way to find an
article given the number, but that is not the issue I am pursuing. I'd
like to see the url from H&S and not bother calling up the browser to do
it. It seems an extra step, (which I am doing now). Thanks, though.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

I like to use the Help and Support Center to look up MS knowledgebase
articles. However, I also like to copy and paste the url's from kb
articles
that answer frequent needs.

Use the template http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid= and add the ID
number of the MSKB article, which is listed in the upper right area.

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

Colin,

Not sure if it's possible to add a context-menu, but it's possible to copy
the URL to clipboard, before displaying the results in the Help and Support
Center's frame. I've not tried it, but one can try experimenting with this
code segment or similar:

window.clipboardData.setData('Text', oInnerLink.href);

Within the function ResultClick()

Perhaps a scripting guy can accomplish this very easily.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org

Thanks, Ramesh. This basically confirms what I pretty much knew. H&S
lacks a feature that would supply a url directly. Seems like it would be
a snap to do since the search engine has already output the article title
links on the knowledgebase tab. All that is needed is an item on the
context menu (when you right click on one of the items) that puts the url
on the clipboard. Looks like a Wishlist submission for Longhorn to me.
So....

I have submitted to MS Windows Product Feedback (make-a-wish) a new
feature request that would add an item to the context menu for the
articles in the Help and Support Center/Search Results/Microsoft Knowledge
Base tab. The new context menu item would be "Copy url". In other words,
after Search[search string] a list of kb article titles appears on the
Microsoft Knowledge Base tab and I would like to just capture the kb
article url directly and pop it into a newsgroup Reply Group text area, an
email, or in a notepad doc, etc.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
First, open %Systemroot%\pchealth\helpctr\System\panels\subpanels and make
a
Backup copy of search.htm

Then, copy the attached search.htm (modified one) to the above path. Close
and re-open Help Center. Now the KB search results will open in your
browser
window, whereas the standard ms-its: links remain shown in Help and
Support
Center's frame itself.

To revert the setting back, delete the customized copy of "search.htm",
and
copy the default "search.htm" file back to that location.

Addendum:
To copy title and url in IE, you can use the Title_Url script from Bill
James. (www.billsway.com)

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org

I'm all ears. That's where I am of course when I see a question. You
get
what I'm wanting to do, I see.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

Hi Colin,

Is is OK if Help Center can be tweaked so that the KB search results
open
in IE? If so, pls let me know.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org


While I am in H&S? I know how to use the browser this way to find an
article given the number, but that is not the issue I am pursuing. I'd
like to see the url from H&S and not bother calling up the browser to
do
it. It seems an extra step, (which I am doing now). Thanks, though.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

I like to use the Help and Support Center to look up MS knowledgebase
articles. However, I also like to copy and paste the url's from kb
articles
that answer frequent needs.

Use the template http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid= and add the ID
number of the MSKB article, which is listed in the upper right area.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Thanks, but I'm asking MS to add an item to the existing context menu (that
appears when you right click an article title) so that everyone can have the
functionality out of the box and nobody has to adopt a workaround.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

Colin,

Not sure if it's possible to add a context-menu, but it's possible to copy
the URL to clipboard, before displaying the results in the Help and
Support Center's frame. I've not tried it, but one can try experimenting
with this code segment or similar:

window.clipboardData.setData('Text', oInnerLink.href);

Within the function ResultClick()

Perhaps a scripting guy can accomplish this very easily.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org

Thanks, Ramesh. This basically confirms what I pretty much knew. H&S
lacks a feature that would supply a url directly. Seems like it would be
a snap to do since the search engine has already output the article title
links on the knowledgebase tab. All that is needed is an item on the
context menu (when you right click on one of the items) that puts the url
on the clipboard. Looks like a Wishlist submission for Longhorn to me.
So....

I have submitted to MS Windows Product Feedback (make-a-wish) a new
feature request that would add an item to the context menu for the
articles in the Help and Support Center/Search Results/Microsoft
Knowledge Base tab. The new context menu item would be "Copy url". In
other words, after Search[search string] a list of kb article titles
appears on the Microsoft Knowledge Base tab and I would like to just
capture the kb article url directly and pop it into a newsgroup Reply
Group text area, an email, or in a notepad doc, etc.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
First, open %Systemroot%\pchealth\helpctr\System\panels\subpanels and
make a
Backup copy of search.htm

Then, copy the attached search.htm (modified one) to the above path.
Close
and re-open Help Center. Now the KB search results will open in your
browser
window, whereas the standard ms-its: links remain shown in Help and
Support
Center's frame itself.

To revert the setting back, delete the customized copy of "search.htm",
and
copy the default "search.htm" file back to that location.

Addendum:
To copy title and url in IE, you can use the Title_Url script from Bill
James. (www.billsway.com)

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org

I'm all ears. That's where I am of course when I see a question. You
get
what I'm wanting to do, I see.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
Hi Colin,

Is is OK if Help Center can be tweaked so that the KB search results
open
in IE? If so, pls let me know.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org


While I am in H&S? I know how to use the browser this way to find an
article given the number, but that is not the issue I am pursuing.
I'd
like to see the url from H&S and not bother calling up the browser to
do
it. It seems an extra step, (which I am doing now). Thanks, though.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

I like to use the Help and Support Center to look up MS knowledgebase
articles. However, I also like to copy and paste the url's from kb
articles
that answer frequent needs.

Use the template http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid= and add the ID
number of the MSKB article, which is listed in the upper right area.